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Michael J. Connolly

Partner

617-345-9000

603-225-4334

About

Michael, a Partner, and Co-Chair in the Firm’s Government Enforcement & White Collar Defense Group.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, Michael tried nearly a dozen cases to verdict – resulting in convictions of all defendants in every case. As a prosecutor, Michael concentrated in economic crimes including securities fraud, health care fraud, corruption, tax fraud, and bank fraud. Attorney General Janet Reno awarded Michael the 1996 John Marshall Award, the U.S. Department of Justice’s highest award for trial work. He received this honor for his successful work in prosecuting what then-FBI Director Louis J. Freeh hailed as “the largest commercial bribery case in the history of the Department of Justice,” involving 22 former executives with American Honda Motor Company and some of the country’s largest automobile dealers. The prosecution culminated in a four-month jury trial that resulted in the conviction of two former American Honda senior executives of RICO violations, conspiracy and various other fraud charges.

Since leaving the government, Michael has distinguished himself in trying high-stakes business disputes and white collar criminal cases, including several recent wins against the U.S. Department of Justice. He has served as lead counsel in over four dozen trials in Federal and State courts throughout New England, as well as in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Tennessee and Florida. Michael’s accomplishments as a trial lawyer led to his induction into the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Michael has successfully represented senior executives of publicly traded companies and others in SEC investigations and enforcement actions involving allegedly fraudulent disclosures, insider trading, revenue recognition issues, options back-dating, market timing, and various regulatory violations, including prevailing against the SEC at the U.S. District Court level and before the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Michael also has extensive experience in defending pharma executives, academic medical centers and various other health care providers in grand jury investigations and False Claims Act prosecutions. Michael provides guidance to corporate officers and boards of directors on various issues involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, voluntary and mandatory disclosures, and public relations, among others. Michael is currently defending a global pharmaceutical company in connection with an investigation of alleged fraudulent marketing practices of opioid medications; a non-profit patient assistance fund being investigated for Anti-Kickback Statute and tax violations; and several pharma executives being investigated for off-label marketing, Anti-Kickback violations and securities fraud.

Michael regularly conducts large-scale internal and independent investigations into billing issues and various forms of possible criminal, unlawful and unethical conduct, including highly publicized sexual abuse scandals involving several prominent boarding schools, a world-renowned professional sports organization and other entities.

Education

Michael’s two most recent trials against the Boston U.S. Attorney’s Office resulted in the juries acquitting his clients on all charges (one involved allegations that his client issued prescriptions for opioids in the absence of medical necessity, and the other involved wire fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with a casino development). A third recent health care trial resulted in a hung jury and a mistrial.

Michael has also convinced federal and state prosecutors to decline prosecution in many cases and has secured voluntary dismissals of indictments against corporations and individuals, including the following examples:

The dismissal of mail fraud charges against the public contractor that installed the ceiling panel in the I-90 Connector Tunnel to Logan Airport (as part of a project known as “the Big Dig”) that collapsed, fatally
injuring a motorist (United States v. Modern Continental, No. 08 cr. 10183-DPW (D. Mass.));

The dismissal of immigration fraud charges against a recruiter in the hotel industry (United States v. Kirsch, No. 1:14-cr-131-01/02-JD (D.N.H.)); and